The Parents of the Devil
by xXSisterFister69Xx
Summary: Little is known about Tanya's parents other than a couple of lines throughout the novels. I set out to expand upon this since nearly everything about them is an open canvas.


On a sunny summer afternoon Anton Lehmann lay out in a vast field with his head rested in his hands. Not far from him was his soon to be wife, Meta Degurechaff, and his newborn child wrapped in violet cloth. Anton looked up to stare at his beautiful fiancée in her pristine cotton-blue sundress as she stroked their child's bald head with her own content smile. She didn't seem to mind his gawking, so he didn't bother to stop. All he could think about was how he couldn't believe his luck. The only way this day could be any better is if it wasn't so damn cold. Come to think of it, why _was _it so cold? It was high noon and there wasn't a cloud in the sky to block the Sun's rays as it bathed the healthy, green grass in warmth yet there was a chill so intense that it cut Anton down to the bone. The sudden wailing of the baby jarred him from his thoughts, and he was about to soothe the child when a strange sensation overtook him.

The lush fields of the Empire faded as Anton's eyes snapped open as someone shook him awake. The dull, grey clouds overhead reminded Anton of where he was, and he instinctively snatched his rifle from where it lay next to him but abruptly stopped when he saw his commander's face. Anton rested his back against the trench's wall as he took a couple deep breaths to calm his racing heart. "Didn't mean to spook you there, corporal. Command says we move out in a couple of minutes." Second Lieutenant Schuster then turned away from him to get his own equipment ready.

Anton begrudgingly pivoted in his sitting position to face his own gear. He tried to cling onto the peaceful image of his dream, but the specifics were already slipping from memory. Anton ensured his entrenchment tool was secure before turning to check on his absurdly heavy radio unit. The radio was an invention of the past few years and simplifies the communication spells that mages employ. Most people don't have the ability to use these types of spells, but the radio serves as a crutch to even the playing field. The operator only needs a minimal magical aptitude to operate the radio and soldiers who fit that criteria are common enough to be deployed with most units fielded by the Empire. Unfortunately, people who are both capable to use magic but not skilled enough to use them for any other substantial role are relegated to the stressful job of operating the infernal radios. Anton fit this criterion perfectly and was recruited into the military shortly after his meager magical aptitude was discovered.

The troops soon collected themselves and were standing at attention within a few minutes. Anton took his place next to Lieutenant Shuster and Sergeant Becker at the front of the formation where the troops would be briefed on the mission. "Men, we have received orders to patrol the borders of the Norden territory. As you all know, the Legadonia Entente Alliance has unrightfully claimed ownership of this area. While we are not at war with the Alliance, we are not on friendly terms with them. We have been ordered to not open fire on intruding Alliance forces and instead _remove_ them from our territory." Various snide remarks and complaints were uttered among the men were silenced by the booming voice of Sergeant Becker.

"In the event of a firefight, we are not to fire the first shot, however we are encouraged to remind the Alliance of the superior military might of the Empire. We are not expected to encounter any hostiles on this excursion, but we have been ordered to eliminate all threats to our territory. Is that understood?"

The troops replied in unison with a satisfying "Yes, sir!"

"Good, let's move out." The lieutenant then motioned for the sergeant to take command and the sergeant quickly organized the well-trained soldiers into the proper formation to begin their march.

"Corporal Lehmann," The lieutenant said as the two of them took their positions in the formation. "Don't hesitate to call in support if we need it. I don't want any casualties today – especially with men due for a ticket home in less than a week."

Anton gave a reassuring nod as the two set out. There was no way in hell he was going to die without laying eyes on his child at least once.

* * *

Patrolling the border regions had always been one of the most dangerous assignments for a soldier during peacetime. The regional command was adamant about sending large patrols out to display the Empire's strength, but it makes the patrols easy to track and even easier to ambush. The regional command reasoned that mages could be rapidly deployed to bring a swift end to skirmishes but the minutes it would take for a mage company to come to their rescue could bring a second that anyone of them could wind up shot. Anton reasoned that it would be better to send out smaller groups trained to silently lurk through the untamed wilderness and be the ones to ambush the invaders but, of course, no one thought to ask _his_ opinion.

The men of Anton's platoon marched down one of the few paths winding through the thick forests of the Norden region. The trail they followed was little more than a path beaten down by the Imperial soldiers that came through the area before them. Not a word was spoken as the men continued forward. Each soldier's eyes were glued to the trees surrounding them wary of potential ambushers. That is, all but one.

Anton knew that he should keep alert as their platoon marched down the path, but his thoughts kept wandering to his new family back home. His fiancée should be due with the baby any day now. Would he make it home in time for the birth? Did she already deliver? If she did deliver, would he know? Is there some kind of gut reaction? What would they name the child? They had discussed it over letters, but they had yet to truly come to a decision. He had petitioned for Adolf if the child was a boy and Tanya if the child was a girl, but his wife had argued that the child should be named after himself as Anton Jr. and she claimed to like the name Gertrude but he, to be frank, thought the name sounded downright ugly. He also didn't like the idea of calling his son by his own name because it just felt unnatural. Then again, Meta was adamant about not naming her son Adolf because it just sounded "wrong". Anton couldn't make sense of that, but he decided not to press the matter if the child was indeed a boy. Hermann - now that's a strong name! Anton's face broke out into a smile. Yes, that would be a great-

A loud crack jarred Anton from his thoughts and he instinctively ducked down as did all the members of the platoon. The men scattered to the sides of the path as a hailstorm of bullets erupted from all around the Imperial platoon. Anton scrambled towards the minimal safety of thick bushes a couple meters away when the prone body of the lieutenant caught his attention. The lieutenant's groans were lost amid the chaos but the red trail he left behind as he laboriously dragged himself along the ground on his back was a clear indicator he was critically wounded. Anton swore under his breath and raised his rifle to return fire. He couldn't make out the shape of any hostiles, so he instead fired a quick succession of bullets into the brush at random. Anton then dropped his rifle to the ground and his clunky radio followed suit. Unburdened, Anton rushed out from his cover to grab the lieutenant by the back of the collar. Lieutenant Shuster grunted in surprise but didn't protest as Anton yanked him back the way he had come. To both of their amazement, Anton wasn't immediately gunned down in this foolhardy action and managed to get Lieutenant Shuster to relative safety.

Anton propped the lieutenant against a tree and tried to tend to his wounds, but Shuster swatted his hands away. "The radio! Get the radio, you damn fool!" Anton dropped down to his stomach and crawled the couple meters back to where he had abandoned his gear to recover the radio. He dragged it back to Shuster and Anton found his own embankment next to the lieutenant to make his call.

"Norden Control, this is Foxhound 08. Enemy contact, requesting immediate mage support!"

"Norden Control, acknowledged. Reserved allied mage wing on the way. ETA five minutes. You are instructed to hold your positions until the mages arrive. We _cannot_ allow the enemy to push further into our territory."

Five minutes? This was a shooting gallery for the Lord's sake! The proper action to take here would be to organize the troops the best you can given the situation and have everyone just book it in a random direction all together. At least then they would be out of the killing floor they had stumbled in to. But now command wants them to just sit around and twiddle their thumbs while they get the heads blasted off by enemies they can't even see. There might not even be anyone to rescue at this point!

Regardless, Anton kept his composure. After all, it wasn't the radio operator's fault that they were in this mess. He was just relaying orders. "Foxhound 08, acknowledged. We'll hold for as long as we can. Out."

Anton ripped the headphones off his head and flung them away without a care for where they landed. "Sir, I called in a mage wing! ETA five minutes!"

Lieutenant Shuster had managed to slow his bleeding with a bandage made from his sleeve, but the solution was only temporary. Shuster had drawn his sidearm to return fire and addressed Anton once more.

"You're doing great corporal but now I need you to find Sergeant Becker! We're going to get picked off out in the open like this. Report to him that I'm being relieved of command; he'll know what to do."

Informing Sergeant Becker of their commander's condition sounded like a good idea but there was one glaring issue that Anton couldn't overlook…

"Sir, I'm not going to leave you here!"

The lieutenant's reply was drowned out by another round of heavy gunfire that forced both men to cower behind their meager cover as the bullet's buried deep into the dirt around them. Anton couldn't hear the lieutenant ordering him to fall back but it didn't take much imagination to assume that was what he was saying. Anton wanted to respect his commander's order but just how cliché this whole situation was had irked him. Wasn't it in every novel that the career soldier must make a sacrifice play to save his comrades? Would that then make him the idiotic rookie that got his platoon killed with his negligence? He had been dreaming about a child he had never met just minutes ago instead of being attentive for ambushes. He knew he had seen the sniper, but it just didn't register that a hostile was aiming at the lieutenant until Shuster was already tumbling to the ground. This was _his_ fault and he would be damned if he didn't try to set things right.

Anton clutched his rifle close to his chest and took a couple deep breaths. He could do this. He would save Shuster _and_ get home in one piece. He just had to have faith. Anton wasn't an overtly religious man, but he figured that muttering a couple of prayers to the big man upstairs would do nothing but improve his chances of survival.

"Lord, we don't talk much but I could really use the help right now. I humbly ask you grace me with your presence and deliver me from my enemies. However, if it is your will then I surrender my life to your loving embrace."

Anton then jumped up from his cover and his sights snapped onto the head of a lad no older than sixteen. The boy's eyes briefly widened in fear before a single bullet ripped through his skull. Anton switched targets and blasted a second enemy with bullets until he crumpled to the floor. With the immediate threats neutralized, Anton scrambled over to the lieutenant and hoisted him up over his shoulders after slinging his rifle over his back.

"Damn it, corporal! You're going to get us both killed!" Lieutenant Shuster yelled as he blindly fired his pistol in the direction of the enemy.

Anton grunted as he began the arduous sprint to the rest of the platoon. A group of five Imperial soldiers had taken a position across the path. None of them had any idea what to do other than occasionally return fire until one of them spotted the officer markings on Shuster.

"There's the lieutenant! Give him some covering fire!"

The one who had shouted that he had seen the lieutenant foolishly scurried out of cover to join Anton on his run and immediately got gunned down. The other four all jumped up to avenge their comrade and two of them were quickly shot as well. One of the two who had been killed had a particularly gruesome death where his entire face had been ripped off by the bullet. His two surviving comrades were gripped by panic as they were showered in the blood of their late friend.

"Shit… God fucking damn it, we're all gonna die!" One of them had started screaming as he balled up on the ground. The other one tried to make a run for it as well and suffered the same fate as the rest of his comrades.

Anton was grateful to them for offering a distraction; however short-lived it was. Unfortunately, the lack of better targets caused several of the enemy soldiers to return their attention to Anton. People usually describe the sound of bullets shooting by through the air as a whistling sound, but it sounded more like the buzzing of bees to him. Angry bees.

Anton's head was swimming as he approached a fallen log that would serve as the perfect cover for a couple minutes. It was only a couple dozen more steps! A searing pain bit into his waist but he didn't pay it any mind. The bullet had gone clean through and he was still on his feet. He could still make it! Another bullet smashed through his elbow and the force nearly knocked him off his feet. It wasn't a fatal shot! Just a few more meters! Two bullets hitting him center mass caused him to trip over his own feet and he slammed into the dirt. He tried to push himself back up, but his left arm collapsed under his shattered elbow. All he could manage to do was to roll over onto his back. He had failed. Anton strained his head back to see how the lieutenant was faring and only then did it dawn on Anton why he had made it as far as he did. The lieutenant was riddled with more bullet holes than he could care to count, and a silent scream was left immortalized on his face. In a way, the lieutenant had been protecting him when Anton was foolishly trying to play the hero.

Anton couldn't recall when, but he had dropped his rifle and Shuster's handgun was nowhere to be seen. The enemy soldiers chivalrously didn't execute Anton as his blood leaked out into pools around him – after all, he was going to bleed out anyways. His hearing dampened and the chaos of the battlefield felt like it was miles away. He could only barely hear the crackling of gunfire as the world around him darkened. He knew he was dying but a bizarre sense of peace overtook him as the battle was whisked away. This new muted atmosphere was the perfect place for Anton to reflect on his life in the moments before his consciousness slipped away.

As always, Anton's thoughts returned to his beloved fiancée, Meta Degurechaff. Meta, his pearl, would be left behind in this world and although the thought broke his heart; he took solace that their child would be an anchor for her in these difficult times. Their child would receive all the love and affection from their mother that Anton would be unable to provide them himself. Yes, although he would never meet them, his child would know that he loved them unconditionally and that they were in the caring, capable hands of their mother.

The edges of Anton's vision had gone completely black, but he could still make out the dull, grey sky above. The freezing chill that cut down to your bone despite the time of year returned with a new intensity as his body processes began to shut down. The creeping dark continued to cloud his vision, but God saw it fit to allow him to witness the arrival of the long-awaited Imperial Mages. The shimmering, blonde hair of a young female mage was the last thing he saw as his vision failed him. The last thought to cross Anton's mind before his life came to an end was that he hoped his child wouldn't make the same mistake he had made by making a career out of the military.

* * *

Anton couldn't recall when his consciousness had returned to him and he struggled to comprehend where he was or what had even happened. The last thing he could remember was bleeding out on the battlefield and now he was in complete darkness. He had tried to check his body just to discover that it didn't appear he even _had_ one. He couldn't feel his hair against his forehead or clothes against his skin – or skin at all for that matter. There was also no way to tell which way was up as there was no floor to stand on. Anton's senses had failed him, yet he could still detect another's presence. It was unlike any he had felt before but was distinctly familiar.

"Anton, my son, I've awaited your return for twenty years."

The voice was disembodied like he was, and the source sounded like it had come from all around him, even permeating through him. Anton guessed the voice belonged to a male.

"Am I dead?" Anton was unsure of what this being was, but he figured it was a good idea to at least try to collect some information regarding his condition.

"Yes, you were slain in battle on July 18, 1914 in the year of your Lord."

"Are you… God?"

"An astute observation, my son. I am indeed God. Not all come to this realization as soon as you, Anton."

Anton couldn't help but feel flustered for being praised by the creator of the universe he didn't truly believe in existing before just now – especially when he was being praised for guessing that this unknown entity was God himself.

"God- uh, Lord… May I ask about my family?"

"Hmph, I would say that I figured you would say that, but we've already established that I'm all knowing, haven't we? Very well, see for yourself."

From the darkness sprang an image unlike anything he had seen before. It was like a shimmering window into the world he had violently departed. This 'window' descended to a flourishing township that Anton didn't recognize at first until the shapes of the buildings came into view. The church steeple that towered over the rest of the town was the clear indicator that this was the town that Anton had been born in and where he had planned to grow a family. Anton and God continued their descent and the window curved around to float towards a building Anton recognized as the home of the town's doctor. Their window blinked out of existence for a brief second before reappearing in a cramped room where Anton's fiancée lay in a bed cradling a small baby in her arms. The doctor was saying something to Meta, but Anton couldn't hear what was being discussed. Apparently, the window God conjured couldn't relay the voices of the others or perhaps Anton just couldn't hear them without ears. Either way, Anton wouldn't have been able to focus on what the doctor would have been saying to him as his whole attention was focused on his newborn child.

Anton eventually regained control of himself and was about to hesitantly ask the question that had been nagging on his mind for months when God interrupted him with the answer.

"It's a girl."

"She's beautiful…"

Anton stared on in amazement. How could such an ugly, son of a bitch like him be the father of a beautiful angel like her?

"What's her name?"

"Meta has not named the child yet. She refuses to choose a name until you arrive."

Anton felt a pang of guilt weigh on him when God mentioned that she was waiting for him. How long would it be until she was notified of his death? A week? A month? Even longer than that?

"Do not fret, Anton. I have grand plans for your daughter. I will ensure her safety."

Anton was perplexed with God's statement. He had plans for her? What could he possibly want with his bastard daughter? God, in his infinite knowledge, picked up on Anton's confusion and explained.

"Your daughter is destined to be my modern prophet. She will spread my glorious name throughout all the world."

Silence fell between them as Anton watched Meta nurse their daughter for the first time. However, their window faded away and Anton was plunged back into darkness.

"I apologize for taking you away from your family so soon but it's time to move on to your next life, my son."

Anton was saddened that he could not stay with his family, but he was at least afforded the opportunity to see his daughter. Anton didn't reply but God correctly interpreted his silence as acceptance and a bright light enveloped Anton's shapeless consciousness.

"May you find the peaceful life you yearned for in your next life. Until we meet again, my child."


End file.
